
It's fair to say that Peter Robinson knows a thing or two about assessing a vehicle. As the editor of Wheels for a record 16-year innings, more road tests have landed on Robbo's desk than any other man in the big chair at Wheels. He's driven nearly everything in a stellar career, so it was only natural that we wanted him as a judge at COTY and, when all was wrapped up, that we wanted access to his notebook.
Here are the ten cars that caught Robbo's eye, for better and for worse, at COTY 2024.
BMW iX2 xDrive30
For decades BMW instruments set the standard in legibility, simplicity of design and elegance. No longer, the switch to digital instruments, which brought a total redesign, dates back to 2018. Despite six years refinement of the concept this BMW’s dashboard is as contrived, messy and hard to fathom as too many elements of the exterior styling. Why change the perfection of white-on-black circular dials?

BYD Sealion
BYD, the most feared of all China’s car makers, still has much to learn when it comes to dynamics, a quality that remains significant to Wheels’ readers. Corners and bumps instantly reveal the Sealion’s lack of body control from a suspension that’s excessively soft and brings an overreaction to big bumps and helps exaggerate the understeer. Add steering that’s too light and you realise rivals do driver appeal so much better. Nor is the hybrid drivetrain responsive, for it lacks the immediacy of an EV, unless you kickdown to the firewall to wake up the petrol engine. Wait for the next generation.

Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Yes, it helped that the Mustang was the only three-pedal COTY competitor, but that wasn’t the only reason I loved Ford’s track-attacking special edition. The Dark Horse, equally skilled as a comfortable cruiser or blitzing sports car, is capable of feats no other Mustang I’ve driven can achieve. The brawny 350kW bent-eight emits all the right sounds, the brakes are fantastic, the handling so wonderfully adjustable, the slick gearchange perfectly matches the car’s character, and the electric power steering delivers real feedback on the track. Yes, this Mustang’s getting hefty, yet it remains a brilliant drive. Another batch please.

Hyundai Ioniq 5N
Much respected colleagues, including my old mate Chris Harris, rave about the Ioniq 5N.
Didn’t stop my scepticism hitting the redline before any wheel time. I can’t pretend to understand how it’s been achieved, only that in how the N feels, sounds and behaves (it even stutters at the cutout), this fabulous car mirrors the very best hot hatches. At least up to nine-tenths, step beyond that and the weight intervenes. Once the N lets go it would take a Verstappen to avoid a spin.

Lexus LBX
There must be some kind of irony when the cheapest (S47,550) most diminutive (overall length 4190mm) Lexus is also the best looking. The market for tiny, luxury SUVs maybe small – dealers shifted 141 LBXs in October, but by employing the Yaris Cross (835 sold the same month) as a fine basis, Lexus has transformed Toyota’s baby. Provided you don’t need serious adult space in the rear seat, the LBX plays true Lexus in terms of refinement, seat comfort, equipment and finish. Who cares if it’s not quick when the styling is so striking?

Mazda CX-90
Am I alone in struggling to identify Mazda’s clutch of look-alike SUVs? I think not. Size alone is not enough to distinguish the various CXs that continue to evolve Mazda’s now 15-year old KODO styling theme. Still, they remain handsome: the huge, designed-for-America, CX-90 exudes an upscale appearance, even though the driving doesn’t quite live up to expectations. If only I (and potential buyers) could easily distinguish it from the CX-70 and CX-80 without searching for the identity badge. Time for a new design language.

Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe 200
It’s only four years since the Mercedes-Benz coupe (and cabriolet) range stretched to three distinctly different models, all developed from the corresponding C, E and S class sedans.
Today, just one survives: the newly named CLE. The rationalisation is a non-brainer when you realise the difference in wheelbase between the old W213 E-Class and W205 C-Class was only 33mm. The CLE splits the difference, at 2865mm the wheelbase is eight mm shorter than the E-coupe and 25mm longer than the C-coupe. Unsurprisingly, the CLE 200’s $102,815 price is rather closer to the E200’s $112,969 than the C200’s $79,200.

MG Cyberster
Think of the Cyberster as a fun-to-drive sports car and you’ll be sadly disappointed. Not with the startling EV performance, but the lack of composure and a truly lousy ride on anything less than a smooth surface. Rather, this is a cruise car, deliberated styled to look concept-show car, for poseurs. To the exotic styling, add electric doors that open at the touch of a button and swing up like a Lambo’s, and a flamboyant interior that features four screens.
Yes, it feels unique, but for pure fun I’d still take an MX-5.

Mini Countryman SE
If I told you the Mini Countryman was effectively the same length the original Range Rover, I doubt you’d believe me. It’s true, the new Countryman stretches to 4447mm, up 130mm on its predecessor, while the two-door Rangey reached just 4445mm. The Countryman is easily the largest model in the brand’s history, big enough to warrant the SUV label. Yet it’s true to the Mini ethos and even in EV form still feels and drives as you expect a Mini to behave. The interior is undeniably Mini with its enormous circular screen. What’s not Mini is the way-too-thick diameter of the steering wheel.

Polestar 3
My first Polestar and I’m impressed. Seems the key to the Polestar 3’s agile driving feel is the BorgWarner mechanical torque-vectoring rear axle that Polestar claims is a first for an SUV. The dual-clutch system can send all the rear motor's torque to one wheel or split it between the left and right wheels in any ratio. The rear-axle disconnect only works in Range mode when opening both clutches improves efficiency and increases range by about 10 percent. If you buy into the claim that this Polestar is a rival for the Big Three Germans then there’s no doubting its competitiveness.

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